Trinco hospital gets eye surgeon after 20 years

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 October 2004, 13:33 GMT]Sri Lanka Health Ministry, after nearly twenty years, has appointed a
permanent eye surgeon to the Trincomalee general hospital, hospital sources said. Eye patients in the Trincomalee district have had to travel to Kandy,
Kurunagala and Colombo for eye treatment, until this appointment, residents said.

Philanthropists are seen with the hospital administration with furnitures donated by them

Trincomalee Hospital Committee Chairman Dr.Hemachchandra speaking at the special meeting

Poor eye patients were taken to Kandy by the Trincomalee district branch of
the Sri Lanka Red Cross with the assistance of Eastern Human Economic
Development (EHED) organization.

The appointment of an eye surgeon has become a blessing for several
hundreds eye patients, especially for poor,who visit Trincomalee general
hospital daily from rural areas in the district, civil sources said.

Medical Superintendent Dr.Ms Gowshi Gnanagunalan with the assistance of
health department authorities has created a separate ward for eye patients.

Trincomalee
Hospital Committee led by its President Dr.K.Hemachchandra came to the
rescue of hospital authorities to furnish the newly carved out eye ward.
Several businessmen and philanthropists donated steel cabinets, tables and
chairs on the request of hospital committee, medical sources said.

'' Dream has come true at last,'' said Dr.Ms Gowshi Gnanagunalan addressing a
special meeting of the Trincomalee Hospital Committee, which was held
Wednesday. Later at an event at the hospital premises, philanthropists
donated furniture.

The Trincomalee hospital was
constructed nearly hundred years ago during the colonial days.